NATION : November Home Sales Jump 1.1%

Sales of existing homes rose 1.1% in November, the first increase since August, a real estate trade group reported today.

The National Assn. of Realtors said existing single-family homes were sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.71 million units last month. Sales had shown no improvement at all in October after having fallen 1.1% in September. The November rise in sales was led by a 4.6% jump in the Northeast. Sales also climbed in the Midwest, by 4.3%. Sales were unchanged in the South, while the West was the only region of the country reporting a month-to-month sales decline, a 7% setback.